Fulham boss unsure about dropped Dembele’s future

Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic said he dropped Moussa Dembele against Brentford partly because of uncertainty over the player’s future. 

Dembele, whose contract expires at the end of the season and who has been linked with several clubs – including Chelsea –  was omitted from the starting line-up for the derby at Griffin Park but came on at half-time.

Jokanovic explained he wanted to pack the midfield but also felt Dembele was not focused enough to play.

“Dembele is one of my two best players. I [usually] prefer to use him all the time,” he said after the 3-0 defeat. 

“But I am not sure if Dembele is going to be my player next season. I didn’t see him so focused for this game and it’s my decision to try with more midfielders – try and be a little bit more solid.”

However, Jokanovic conceded his attempt at stifling Brentford did not work, with Ross McCormack isolated up front his own, and promised not to repeat the formation again.

“I didn’t find the solution and I tried in the second half to fix this situation and play what we are now going to play always,” he said.